Computerized cognitive training for improving cochlear-implanted children's working memory and language skills

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Audiology

Background:

• Sensory deprivation, particularly hearing loss, can lead to cognitive impairments in children.
• Children with cochlear implants (CIs) often experience deficits in working memory and language skills.
• Targeted cognitive training may offer a solution to mitigate these deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of computer-based cognitive training on working memory and language abilities in children with CIs.
• To determine if specific cognitive training can ameliorate cognitive impairments associated with cochlear implantation.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design and a control group.
• Fifty-one children (aged 6-12) with CIs were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group.
• The treatment group received 20 sessions of "Sina-Working Memory Training," while the control group received no intervention. Assessments included the Wechsler Working Memory Subtest and the Test of Language Development (TOLD).

Main Results:

• Cognitive computer training significantly enhanced working memory, including auditory and visual-spatial components (P < 0.01).
• Improvements were observed in language skills, specifically sentence imitation, word discrimination, and phonemic analysis (P < 0.01).
• Statistical analyses (ANCOVA) confirmed the significant impact of the intervention.

Conclusions:

• Computer-based cognitive training is effective in improving working memory and language skills for children with cochlear implants.
• Implementing such cognitive training programs can enhance the cognitive functions of children with CIs.
• This approach offers a viable strategy for supporting the cognitive development of children with hearing impairments and CIs.